MMA News

Harry Kettle - May 1, 2025

PFL star Paul Hughes is confident that a rematch against Usman Nurmagomedov will happen at some point in the near future. When it comes to Irish MMA, there are few bigger names right now than Paul Hughes. Yes, you’ve got Conor McGregor and Ian Machado Garry, but, Paul Hughes is really carving out a name for himself these days in one ways than one. The fight that really helped him get to that next level came against Usman Nurmagomedov, when he took the champion to the limit and came close to claiming the belt.

Harry Kettle - May 1, 2025

UFC commentator Paul Felder has urged Bo Nickal to be more aggressive when he battles Reinier de Ridder at UFC Des Moines. Up to this point in his career, Bo Nickal has faced a lot of interesting challenges. However, in mixed martial arts, you could certainly argue he hasn’t gone against anyone quite like Reinier de Ridder. The former ONE Championship star poses all kinds of interesting challenges for him to try and overcome and given how much he’s spoken about becoming a champion, this is a test that Bo needs to pass.

Harry Kettle - May 1, 2025

UFC legend Michael Bisping believes Kamaru Usman needs to consider retirement if he loses to Joaquin Buckley at UFC Atlanta. For the longest time, Kamaru Usman was the best welterweight on the planet – and, at times, the #1 fighter in all of mixed martial arts. With that being said, the last few years haven’t exactly been great for ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’. In addition to consecutive losses at the hands of Leon Edwards, he also tasted defeat in a short notice bout with Khamzat Chimaev – although it was certainly competitive.

Harry Kettle - April 30, 2025

UFC veteran Jeremy Stephens has revealed how his return to the promotion came to fruition ahead of Saturday night. After leaving the promotion four years ago, Jeremy Stephens is officially back in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He first left to explore a new venture with PFL but in addition to that, he also opted to test the waters in bare-knuckle boxing. It’s safe to say that his tenure in BKFC was successful, as he secured a 3-0 record with two finishes – including one over Eddie Alvarez.

Cole Shelton - April 30, 2025

Cory Sandhagen believes he can secure the next title shot with an impressive win against Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC Des Moines. Sandhagen is set to headline the card as he looks to get back into the win column after a decision loss to Umar Nurmagomedov back in August. Heading into the bout against Figueiredo, Sandhagen is a sizeable favorite. With that, he expects to get his hand raised and do so impressively.

BJ Penn Staff - April 30, 2025

Tyrone Spong is a legend of the kickboxing ring. If things had gone a little differently, he might have made some waves in the UFC Octagon too. As a kickboxer, Spong won multiple notable titles. The knockout artist also had some commendable success as a boxer, notably winning the the WBC and WBO Latino heavyweight titles in 2018, and nearly fighting current unified champ Oleksandr Usyk the following year.

Cole Shelton - April 30, 2025

BKFC has walked back on its signing of former UFC flyweight Jeff Molina. Molina revealed he signed with BKFC after being granted his UFC release. The former UFC flyweight is currently suspended as he was involved in the gambling probe around James Krause. Molina was indefinitely suspended, and after the hearing, his suspension will be lifted in November.

BJ Penn Staff - April 30, 2025

Dustin Poirier is retiring from MMA at UFC 318 on July 19, and he’s going to leave a big hole in the lightweight division. Poirier, a former interim champ, will go down as one of the best lightweights in MMA history, having been a staple of the division’s top-10 for years. In his retirement fight, he’ll take on fellow legend Max Holloway — with the novelty “BMF” title on the line.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - April 30, 2025

Brandon Moreno admits that he believes time is running out on another UFC title reign. Moreno has already captured the UFC Flyweight Championship twice, but he wants a third reign with undisputed gold. In theory, “The Assassin Baby” has time given that he still fights at a high level at the age of 31. The problem is, he is 0-3 against the current flyweight titleholder Alexandre Pantoja. One of those losses was an exhibition bout on “The Ultimate Fighter.”

Fernando Quiles Jr. - April 30, 2025

Kamaru Usman once ruled the roost of the welterweight division, but many believe “The Nigerian Nightmare’s” relevancy has faded. Usman will be looking for his “y’all must’ve forgot” moment when he takes on Joaquin Buckley in the main event of UFC Atlanta on June 14. The former UFC Welterweight Champion feels he has been disrespected by rising 170-pound contenders. Fans have seen the scenario play out dozens of times where the new guard takes out the once-dominant legend.

Cole Shelton - April 30, 2025

Jeff Molina is no longer under UFC contract. Molina signed with the UFC back in 2020 after winning on the Contender Series. He ended up going 3-0 in the UFC, including winning Fight of the Night in his debut at UFC 261. However, he hasn’t fought since June of 2022 when he earned a split decision win over Zhalgas Zhumagulov.

Harry Kettle - April 30, 2025

MMA analyst Din Thomas believes the UFC should retire the BMF title if Dustin Poirier wins the belt in his last fight. At UFC 318, Dustin Poirier will compete in his final fight in the sport of mixed martial arts. He will ride off into this sunset following a trilogy bout with Max Holloway, with the BMF title being on the line. It’s a title that ‘The Diamond’ has competed for once before, losing via knockout to Justin Gaethje, who subsequently lost the strap to Holloway.

Harry Kettle - April 30, 2025

UFC sensation Conor McGregor has weighed in on the crazy 100 men vs one gorilla debate that has engrossed the internet. The internet is a strange place and that much is an understatement. Throughout the course of the last few years, social media has become a hub for strange debates and really bizarre things going viral. In case you’ve missed it, the latest focus has been on a tweet that exploded out of control. The question is simple: could 100 men defeat one gorilla in a fight without any weaponry?

Harry Kettle - April 30, 2025

UFC fighter Sedriques Dumas has reportedly been arrested on charges that include home invasion and battery. In terms of what he’s achieved in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Sedriques Dumas hasn’t really been able to stand out. He’s gone 3-3 in the promotion since he first signed and in his most recent outing earlier this month, he was stopped by Michał Oleksiejczuk. Alas, the big story doesn’t come from what he’s done inside the cage, but what he’s done outside of it.

BJPENN.COM Staff - April 29, 2025

Dante Leon wants to be remembered — not just as an all-time great — but as the best to ever do it when it’s all said and done in many, many years to come. He takes the next step in solidifying that status when he challenges ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Champion Tye Ruotolo in the co-main event at ONE Fight Night 31: Kongthoranee vs. Nong-O II on Friday, May 2, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium.

BJ Penn Staff - April 29, 2025

Din Thomas, a renowned MMA coach and UFC analyst, is starting to doubt Jones has any intention of fighting Tom Aspinall. Jones is considered by many to be the best fighter in MMA history. That’s due primarily to his work in the light heavyweight division, where he defeated a host of world-class challengers over the course of several title reigns. However, in 2023, after a long layoff, Jones moved up to heavyweight, and claimed the vacant belt with a submission of Ciryl Gane. Unfortunately, he has only defended his belt once, battering an aging Stipe Miocic to a stoppage last November. His prolonged inactivity at heavyweight forced the UFC to crown an interim champ in Aspinall, who won his belt with a knockout of Sergei Pavlovich in 2023. Aspinall has already defended his belt once, knocking out Curtis Blaydes last year. However, he has been calling for a fight with Jones since winning the belt.

BJ Penn Staff - April 29, 2025

MMA legend Georges St-Pierre is not a fan of a common strategy the UFC matchmakers employ when booking fights. St-Pierre is considered one of the greatest MMA fighters ever. He spent most of his career competing at welterweight, where he was the long-time UFC champion. The Canadian briefly retired after defending his title for the 10th time against Johny Hendricks in 2013, but returned to action in 2018, claiming the UFC middleweight belt with a submission win over Michael Bisping.

BJ Penn Staff - April 29, 2025

The quickly approaching UFC Atlanta card is coming together. Late last week, the promotion announced that the June 14 card will be headlined by a welterweight scrap between former champ Kamaru Usman and rising contender Joaquin Buckley. A flyweight co-headliner between Miranda Maverick and Rose Namajunas was also announced. However, not much was known about the rest of the card.